The first technical studio Vynakhidnyk opened in 2008, Kyiv. It was a space of non-curricular education for children from 3 to 16 years of age with

a focus on the progressive STEM method. The training was based on

a combination of exact disciplines: science, technology, engineering,

and mathematics.

'Almost for the first time in the history of the Ukrainian education system children were proposed to explore the ways the world works and gain practical technical knowledge through playing with LEGO educational kit rather than learning things by rote.'

—Maksym Iliukhyn, Fedoriv agency strategist

In 10 years the Inventor network has grown to 28 studios (27 in Ukraine

and one—a partner school in Moldova), became the official distributor

of LEGO Education in Ukraine and dramatically changed the approach

to training.

Challenge

Despite favourable location and positive feedback from parents, the studios remained unfilled by 30–40%, in the older groups—by 60%.

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To change the situation, we had to find the roots of the problem and take action.

Research & Strategy

We started with research. Having interviewed dozens of parents and studio managers, we found out a few important things.

To stand out from others, we had to prove that instead of teaching children

a certain profession, we aimed at developing their ability to think creatively and cultivating the love of learning, so that they become whatever they want when grown up!

Solution

We identified the main advantage of the studio: the combination of science and creativity, which helps a child develop the skills of the future innovator and become a successful adult. Building on this, we developed a new positioning and proposed new name: this is how the technical studio Vynakhidnyk turned into the Inventor STEMSchool—the key that unlocks

a child's potential.

Everything—from the interiors of schools to the workbooks’ design—had to irradiate the atmosphere of creativity. Inspired by the children's playrooms, in which an orderly chaos dominated, we created a free design system that allowed anyone who worked with it to become a creator and co-author.

And then, it was about time to make changes in the product.

To make it easier for parents to choose a course, we updated our training system and grouped the courses according to a child's age into three packages: Junior, Middle, and Senior. We renamed the courses so that

the essence of each course could be understood from its name,

and highlighted the skills and competencies a child could

We developed a system of gamification that motivates students to work hard, not to miss classes and to move on to the next courses. From now on, in each lesson, the children develop the four key competencies:

literacy—earning points that can be exchanged for prizes. At the end of

the course, they get a diploma with their marks so that parents can also see the results.

To solve the problem of shortage of students in the adult groups,

we proposed to create a Minecraft Education course based on the popular computer game (and that turned out to be right, as the places in the first groups were sold out in a few days!).

We also improved the system of recruitment and professional development of teachers: from selection procedure, which became more complex and interesting, to motivation program and conditions for professional growth.

Now we needed to get people to hear about our renewal. Due to the limited budget, we focused on out-of-home advertising and digital promotion.

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We placed billboards near the Inventor schools to attract the maximum number of visitors living nearby and to increase knowledge among the target audience—young families residing in bedroom communities.

We continued to communicate on Facebook and Instagram: targeting parents, we invited them to visit the landing page and sign up

for an open day.

All that inspired teachers to make further changes—in a few months after launching our strategy, the school independently developed a training game using AR technology, which became a part of the motivation system

for the students.

The campaign helped attract 20% more students compared to 2017

and increased the percentage of those who moved on to the next courses

from 55% to 75%. And what is more, a year after the campaign, five new franchise schools were opened.